Dog breeders slam Labor’s secrecy on change

ALARM bells are ringing for Victorian dog breeders as the Andrews Labor Government dithers on its proposed Domestic Animals Amendment (Puppy Farms And Pet Shops) Bill 2016, says Shadow Minister for Agriculture Peter Walsh.

Breeders and stakeholder groups continue to highlight an ongoing lack of consultation and secrecy on changes to the original Bill.

Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford was forced into an embarrassing backdown in June, after admitting the Bill was “unlikely to pass the Parliament in its current form”.

It followed a highly critical Legislative Council report handed down in December 2016 that found “consultation with relevant stakeholders in regard to this Bill was inadequate” and recommended the Bill be withdrawn.

The Parliamentary Report also recommended the Government “abandon limiting breeders to 10 fertile females” as evidence from multiple witnesses confirmed there was no scientific basis to the number that had been selected by Labor for its election promise of 2014.

The Government indicated it planned to debate the Bill in the Legislative Assembly in September, but that never happened and no explanation was given.

Comments from Shadow Minister for Agriculture Peter Walsh

Dog breeders and stakeholders are rightly frustrated, suspicious and angry with the ongoing secrecy from the Andrews Labor Government.

If Jaala Pulford has nothing to hide, she should immediately release the house amendments in draft form so that dog breeders and other stakeholders know exactly what is going on.

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